double update, woo woo!
Ronnie. The name feels like a poisoned knife cutting my throat.
My father's murderer.
I think it's about time I explain to you.. well, everything.
Why I'm mute. Why I hate drugs. Why I resent my mother, and why I feel like a piece of shit lying to my brother.
I was there that night.
And I saw it all happen.
FLASHBACK (NO ONES POV)
"Mario, please hurry back! Dinner is almost ready, love." Penelope Jackson called out to her husband whom she adored.
The tall, strong, dark skinned and dark haired man nodded his head and headed out the door to go take care of.. his business.
Mario Jackson loved his children, deeply. That's why he was willing to do anything to keep them happy, especially because his own parents had done such for him.
Although they were immigrants and were extremely poor, they blessed him endless love and support. And that was all he ever felt he needed.
They were there for him even when he dropped out of school - quickly helping him to build himself back up emotionally and then, they were overjoyed with the news of both of Penelope's pregnancies - ready and willing to help at any moment.
Because he was without a diploma, construction jobs and factory work were the only ways he could provide for his family.. until he found this little side job.
Selling crack was never what he imagined for his future. He always thought that he was going to play it straight, keep his nose clean and be a good role model for his children.
But then, Penelope's hospital bills were racking up. David was growing so fast that he needed new clothes every month and definitely school supplies for the new year.
The thing that broke the camel's back was that his baby girl, Bes, needed shoes. And he couldn't get them for her.
Bes was the apple of his eye, light of his life. Of course David was loved just as much, but Bes.. Bes was close to his heart. When she came out of her mother looking like him, he was more than overjoyed.
Neither Mario or Penelope noticed Bes follow him out of the door that night.
With no car, Mario was walking everywhere. Praying to God that no police stopped him.
Bes followed behind him carefully, avoiding alerting him to her presence.
He turned down a corner, into a dark alleyway and Bes silently plotted about how she was going to scare him, and they'd both laugh so hard.
In torn up tiny shoes, she stood behind the concrete wall peering into the alleyway, but remaining completely hidden from her father.
Bes noticed a man who looked like her father begin walking down the alleyway, stopping in front of Mario.
Few words are exchanged.
A small baggie passes from Mario's hand to the other man's.
She questioned what it was, but remained silent.
The two men say nothing, until the stranger raises his voice and starts shouting.
"Give me the fucking money, Mario!"
"I can't, I can't do it Ronnie. My Bes, she-she needs shoes. Do you know how bad that makes me feel as a father to know I can't give her those?"
"I don't give a flying fuck what you can and can't give her. Give me the money or the only thing you'll give her is a funeral to attend to." Ronnie spat back viciously.
Bes began shaking out of fear. At the young age of five, she knew what funeral meant.
"Please, man-" Her father desperately pleaded.
The ruthless man pulled out a gun, and there was a soft clicking noise. She wanted to call out, to stop him from hurting her father but she stood paralyzed in terror.
"The money, Mario. Now."
"Ronnie, please!"
Boom boom boom!
Exactly three shots went off, all directly piercing her father.
Bes let out a screech, but then realized she had blown her cover and covered her mouth.
The man, Ronnie, started running towards her and soon he was staring directly down at the little girl.
The feeling of guilt, which Ronnie was sure he had never felt before, was almost enough to knock him off his feet.
He peered down into Bes's eyes and saw a complete replica of Mario's and choked on his own words.
Ronnie raised the gun to point it at her head, to leave no witnesses.. but watched her cry for a moment.
This girl was not only crying because she was scared that she might be dead soon too, but for the loss of her father.
Ronnie pondered for a moment what it would feel like if he were in Mario's shoes, and if his daughter was in Bes's. But it's too late for that now.
All of a sudden her loud wailing stops, and she stands there quiet with tears running down her face.
He had to think of something to say. He just killed her father right in front of her eyes.
"Say a word about this, and your whole fucking family will be dead like your daddy."
And then he took off down the street, gun, crack and fifty dollars in hand.
Mario was killed over fifty dollars, and a baggie of crack.
Bes gasped out in relief that he was gone, turned and ran down the alleyway to her father.
There was so much blood. A giant pool of it surrounding Mario's body. The only time Bes could recall that she had seen this much blood was when Carlos from down the street was shot in front of everyone.
She began shaking her father violently, trying to get him to open his eyes.
"Daddy!" She sobbed, hoping he'd wake up.
"Please." She begged.
She received nothing in response.
Bes sat silent, completely still for a few moments, then laid her head down on his chest. She would not leave him.
The next morning when Mario's body was found, with his tiny daughter laying next to it, the Media went nuts.
Usually murders around this area were not reported on, because if they did - they'd have a new report every hour.. But because it was such a tragedy, everyone knew about it within the first hour of the discovery.
Officer Bennett, twenty two years old and fresh out of the academy sobbed his eyes out when he went home that night.
Having to drag the screaming little girl away from her dead father's body was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life.
She was covered in blood, hair matted from the way she slept and just wouldn't screaming.
They took her to the hospital, called her mother and patiently waited until she showed up.
Mrs. Jackson, Bes's mother, arrived with her nine year old son in tow.
"Where's my daughter?!" She screamed.
Officer Bennett just stared at her.
How could she let something like this happen to her child? How could she be so careless?
He had to stop those thoughts. They barely knew anything of the situation, so maybe Penelope had no clue what had happened and possibly couldn't have stopped it.
The only witness they had right now was Bes.
He lead the mother to her daughter, and as soon as Penelope seen her baby she dropped her sons hand to run over to the girl and engulf her in a bear hug.
"What's going on?" Whispered the young boy, David.
"Maybe I should let your momma tell you, son." David nodded in agreement and just stared at his mother sobbing over his baby sister.
Penelope agreed into letting a child psychologist speak to her daughter to try and get some answers, but Bes stayed mute. She refused to open her mouth, although she was screeching like a banshee a few hours earlier.
Penelope begged her to say something. Anything.
But she didn't.
FLASHBACK OVER (BES'S POV)
So there you have it. The big secret I've kept from you, friend. It's all right out in the open now.
My father is dead. And because I am such a pussy, I kept my mouth shut for all these years.
David and Penelope know nothing about that night, but not for the lack of trying to get me to spill my guts.
But I've always been scared of Ronnie, although I haven't seen him since that night.. until now.
His eyes are the exact same as I remember them. Cold, dark and just plain evil.
His hair is a lot longer now, and he has an overgrown beard but looks relatively the same.
He looked down at me. I looked up at him.
He went to say something, but kept his mouth shut and took off running once again.
This was the second time I've watched his back turn and run away from me.
He's stolen my dignity, my life, my father.. and he's had no repercussions in return.
This whole time I thought I've been keeping my mother and brother safe, but really it's him I've been saving.
Now I'm having a panic attack in the middle of the crowded New York street. Lucky me.